I’d love to hear some quality Rega speakers, nice to hear that you are still completely satisfied with yours

I’m hoping to arrange my room around the system, it will certainly take more of a center stage then it used to.

I particularly like the fancy wooden turntable rack earlier in the thread, has got me thinking a bit more about how I mount my Planar 2.

Incedently, what do you guys think of swapping my plinth and motor for the RP25 that i mentioned? £200 for the uprated deck and motor – and I could just stick on my tonearm and other upgrades..?
Seems a relatively cheap way to an almost complete P25.. (Would be nice to have an RB600 though)

They are £100 now! I picked one up unused for £50.
You’re right in that they can’t be levelled after fitting, but some adjustable feet for the TT should sort that if required.

Love it
Thumbs up for substance over style 🙂

Cheers jools

I wouldn’t be able to resist a mint P6 for that money. Lovely.

Edit: shit, someone’s gone and listed an RP25 minus arm for £200 on ePay.. I love the look of them, I wonder if my RB250 can do it justice?.. Would be a nice potential upgrade from my plinth and motor

Alas, mine is set up fairly crudely (embarrased face emoticon).
Happy to take your suggestions on which bits and pieces and what not to buy in order to get best set up. Please remember the budget though..

I’ll get the stand on the wall pronto, good to hear positive results elsewhere. Then it looks like I may need to go cartridge shopping

Agreed Rusty – the P2 and amp combo works really well. I like the motor upgrade idea, I’m just playing with small tweaks at the moment in order to begin to see what a P2 can do, before splashing too much cash on it.
I’m a big fan of the Michael Lim upgrade forum so when he released a budget version of his alu subplatter, I couldn’t resist adding it to an order – really keen to see if it’s a worthy upgrade – if not, it’ll sell for a good price!

I’m aiming for a wide open soundstage – with distinct separation. Every now and again, on a certain track my system hits the sweet spot. Hopefully with tweaking I can make it more consistent.
When I experimented with the rubber strap hifi stand as mentioned earlier there was an immediate and big improvement – it seems to me that there are no good vibrations, let’s keep things isolated!

Some great tips already, thanks guys.
Regarding vinyl quality, I find that the better you have isolated the turntable, the more that pops and crackles simply disappear. I have a mix of new 180g records, and 60s/70s/80s/90s various and on many occasions I’m blown away with just how clear and dynamic the sound is from them (let alone with a few upgrades).
For example, I’ve backed to back the Beck Sea Change CD with the two vinyl copies I have (one a Mo-Fi version) and quite simply, the vinyl versions ooze a depth and dare I say it ‘warmth’ that the (excellent) CD does not portray.
Last night my Sonic Youth, Dylan and Fleetwood Mac albums sounded fab on vinyl.
Considering I picked up my turntable for something like £90 (low mileage 2nd hand) and it’s humble cartridge, it sounds fab already. That’s what i love about considered budget hifi.

Interesting to read comments regarding my speakers. Remembering that my initial ethos is for giant slaying equipment – the reviews on the BX2’s were enough for me to at least give them a trial. I home tested them alongside a pair of considerably more expensive B&Ws and I simply preferred the BX2’s. I consider them an upgrade from my long term Mission 771’s anyway, which didn’t have enough bass response for me.
I will upgrade my speakers again once I find a pair that I’m certain I’ll enjoy more, but for now, pound for pound my monitor audios are brilliant.

I have a Rega wall stand for my turntable but have yet to set it up, looking forward to hearing the results. In the meantime, I’ll trial a granite plinth under my TT and see how that goes.
I’d like to upgrade the cartridge and have a hankering for an Ortofon blue or red – but that won’t be for a while yet, if at all – as I may decide to do something silly like blow a wedge on an RP6.. Or 8..

Re speaker cable/interconnects, I agree – I’m not fussed for the expensive gear.

Thanks for the links too, I’ll certainly check them out. Keep it coming!

I like the last comment on the link, ‘if you had to bet your life savings on Bolt being clean or dirty, which way would you go?’

Sometimes it really bothers me to think that there are some clean sprinters out there pushed into 2nd, 3rd , 6th place etc by the dopers. Then I realise that there are almost certainly no clean sprinters.

Linford Christie above not being a particularly good example of positive dedication.

I assume that freeholder is at liberty to not demand a payment?

Only as the current freeholder is selling up (his adjoining property is sold), and I believe he is on good terms with the current leaseholder..

..its a long shot but fingers are crossed for a ‘free’ lease extension.

EDIT: Your market gain was valued at £3400 based on over 900 years of market inflation?! Not much of a pension 🙂

Cynically, I would argue that its been fairly standard practice for lots of other countries to single out potential freaks since way back when.
Also much easier to find an outstanding prospect in a (very) minor participant sport.

offer made on condition of lease extension prior to sale completion.

As you say, its worth at least seeing if an amicable private solution is at least possible (or if seller is willing to cover costs if not).

I do like the idea that he is a freak, I can accept that. Like Ian Thorpedo being so darn tall and powerful with shovel hands and flipper-like feet.

Stands to reason that out of however many billion on the planet, a tiny minority could have freakish attributes that lend themselves to sporting accomplishment. It excites me to consider a sporting world where the possibility of testing EVERYONE on the planet and hand picking the obvious freaks for future sporting training programmes (China?..) – i’d imagine that in reality a tiny minority of the potential greats actually ever see a track, for example.

I secretly hold on to that vein of thought whilst sitting in the EPD church of cynicism. At the end of the day, I still watch athletics, i’m still a fan on some levels – and I still have hope.
Jesse Owens was a very good analogy.

Pieface – thanks for your input.
I’ll hold my hands up and say that no-one has cast an eye over the lease document other than myself yet.
Im here to find out what I can before considering passing it on to a solicitor, as literally every penny counts at the moment.

If this lease shows that id be mental to proceed (according to anyone with prior experience), then ill save the bother and quit whilst im ahead.
If extending the lease can genuinely be kept down to a few hundred pounds, and the other covenants thrashed out without repercussion (potential insurance sting springs to mind too)- then im going to strongly consider the purchase.

FYI – I made a fairly cheeky offer yesterday and the agent has come back suggesting that another £3k will seal the deal – and that we could go forward on the proviso that the lease is extended at seller costs prior to completion..
So.. I need to start walking the walk..

Fair comment. On the Boltheist scale i’m probably an 8. (would probably be a 9 but he is a charming fellow).

EDIT: hang on, have I got my scale the right way round?

To sugest this assesment is some sort of pseudo religious beleif is false (and fairly patronising). Its a rational assesment of the facts in the face of a post Armstrong swing to condenm everyone one who wins.

Apologies for coming over patronising – wasn’t my intention.
To counter, though, I would say that my belief in the non-existence of God is not (solely) based on the evidence of his non-existence, but an implicit belief in science – and a modicum of common sense.

Out of interest, would you extend the same attitude to Kratochvílová or Flo-Jo

Flo-Jo’s short term improvements in both physique and performance times were staggeringly suspicious – at a time when its now fairly certain the all American hero, Carl Lewis, was riddled with PED’s.
Perhaps she discovered chicken nuggets, the same ones Marion Jones enjoyed with her husband.

I’d also like to add the my Bolt suspicions aren’t based on a port-Armstrong era of witch hunting.
I suspected Bolt (and athletics/sprinting) waaaay before Armstrong came clean, so to speak.

For me, it’s increasingly difficult to believe in heroes in most sports when so many previous ones end up cheats – and you have a basic understanding of the difficulties the tester’s face in uncovering the fairly inevitable truth.

I would summarise that if Bolt is clean, then he truly is a marvel – capable of defying what on the face of it are virtually insurmountable odds to beat, no, destroy decades of cheats with the hugest advantage of PED’s.

apologies again for being a negative so-and-so, i’m just voicing an opinion

The apartment I am interested in is 1st floor and covered by the entire roof section, so I can kind of see how I would be more responsible for the roof costs.

I may look into negotiating a lease extension as part of purchase as recommended above, but as others have also said, i’m not wholly comfortable about some of the other covenants.

It’s a shame as the space and position of this place easily trumps everything else i’ve come across on the market (perhaps now I know why).

Me too dude.
I genuinely like that people remain positive, it gives me incentive to be more positive.
I don’t like being so cynical, I’ve just learned that usually, it pays.

I worry about believing in miracles, Im not religious. As I said earlier, I really do hope Bolt is the fastest clean sprinter of all time.

Do WADA and the likes not exercise enough doubt on the spectators’ behalf?

I honestly don’t know. It’s been suggested that perhaps not.

I’d probably suggest that any system that, in part, relies on an independent governing body (such as Jamaican authorities) to undertake ‘some’ of the testing themselves, isn’t as robust a system as it could be.

I just see it as being necessary to enjoy the sport without thinking that everybody at the top is doping.

This is a very positive outlook, and again I commend it. But I worry that it’s one step away from arguing that Bolt is actually God. Because it cant be proven that he isn’t.

Maybe you’ve hit it on the head Steve77? *miracle*

perhaps the believers are in general, more religious than the sceptics (scientists?)

My mind is cynical based on a life time of evidence to the contrary.

The rewards are too high for human nature to resist.
Its not a nice stance to take, and I truly don’t know what Bolt would have to do to convince me that he isn’t cheating.

Whatever my mind tells me though, I do honestly hope that he isn’t a cheat. I very much respect people who achieve the very best in their chosen vocation (honestly).
I think that at the very least though, it would be more foolish to not exercise an element of doubt.

Yes, a lot of his peers have doped. He has run much faster than every one of them. His nugget fuelled performances go way beyond what is very likely to be physically possible without doping.

I commend your open mind concept though, truly.

he can run .. FAST.. faster than any man alive or dead.. end of.

No, that’s not the end of.
IF he is a cheat, he doesn’t deserve the accolades or multi-millionaire status – he deserves none of it.

But (big but) if the new landlord were a happy and generous fellow, delighted to help out, could the lease be extended for next to nothing by my solicitor?

Cripes – not a good start then.

Is it a given that extending a lease costs money then?
Can a landlord not just give consent to extend and a solicitor arrange for bobbins?
(im wondering if I can build in a clause in to an offer on the property to extend the lease prior to completion)

Most leases ive come across are originally set at 99 years, does this mean that hundreds of thousands of tenants across the country all currently face a huge incoming bill?

Someone say something positive about extending the lease..

Having read this thread it smacks of the Armstrong love-in pre his admittance.
I can’t see how anyone (on a diet of chicken nuggets) can run 5% faster, at a canter, than every other dedicated pro on the planet over 100m, clean.

Unfortunately in my eyes, he can’t win either way.

I do however suspend disbelief when it comes to Michael Johnson, watching him at the Atlanta Games was the most incredible thing ive ever seen in athletics (and seemingly a really great person to boot, perhaps blurring my cynicism).
Jonathan Edwards in Gothenburg smashing 18m twice in a row in 95 easily my second fave moment.

I just can’t put Bolt up there with them, yet.

The plan would be to hit the m4 at j15 at 6:30am, and off at j4/Datchet .
I also have a motorbike for during the good weather.

However yes. I’m still putting serious thought to whether I can handle the commute in general.

Thanks again for the comments.
I suppose I’m fairly aware that the commute will be far from joyous. But the fact that others have commented on the area having scenic routes and decent riding goes a long way to assuring me that my weekends should always be pleasant enough.

The hard fact is that i’ll be even further out of pocket to rent locally (and off the property ladder indefinitely), with little means to save further.
I already have alternative plans for at least two nights per week and am considering requesting work from home status for at least one day per week, so the commute from Wiltshire could potentially be cut to 2 or 3 days per week..

In the medium to long term ideally i’ll be renting the Wiltshire pad out and living in London area with Mrs Slim Mk2.
Although, it would make a rather nice weekend bolt hole pad.

indeed! I took a look around the local area yesterday and took a drive over to the Ridgeway, there looked like miles of great road riding and I spotted several bridleway opportunities.
I also spotted a couple of muddy off-road riders head straight past the flat i’m looking at 🙂

So I devoured a pack of Beef Monster Munch today – the flavour is still there (delicious) but it feels like the recipe has changed making them more crunchy and harder on the soft pallet.

Probably a switch to a ‘healthier’ cooking oil or something, but for me, not as legendary as before.

regarding train links, by car (or motorbike-which I own), the commute from Newbury could be done in an hour – im not really sold on the idea of trains including transfers which would theoretically take a fair bit longer.
Also, last time I checked the price of train tickets raised both eyebrows..

But, its another idea that I should certainly consider

Yes, potential on and off-road cycling routes would be advantageous.

Cirencester – far too near the ex-mother-in-law for comfort im afraid.

griptool – some of the most expensive real estate in the world is located within moments of the worlds most famous inbred family, back in London town.
(despite your reservations – id put up with a strange village over residing in Slough – currently my best shot at local property)

Chiseldon

(I reserve the right to use the word ‘nice’ loosely)

was never a fan of McCoys, until I chanced across a packet of Thai Sweet Chicken flavour.
These somewhat ‘rarer’ McCoys never fail to have my lips smacking.

Agree with all monster munch shouts, takes me back to vending machines during trips to the swimming pool on school days out. Time machine crisps.

Nik-Naks nice’n’spicy flavour however, they’ve done something wrong to them and they now no longer hit the spot.

I am totally going home and devouring cheesy beans and toast tonight after stewing on this all afternoon.

Heck, I may go two tins deep..

I like Passat’s, I just don’t know if I can regularly scrabble together the chunky tyre prices, and tax at £200+ means once a year I have a really miserable month.

Although I totally agree with aiming for a bit more oomph and less road noise for longer journeys so wouldn’t write off a bigger car.

Having said that, I’ve heard that utterly brilliant results can be had from stripping a cars interior out and properly insulating it with sound deadening material (dynamat etc).

Just spotted a nice looking ‘Renault Clio 1.5 dCi 106 Dynamique S’

and the ‘ 1.5 dCi 86 Dynamique ‘ looks a good bet with better tax and economy figures..

This may well come down to simply sitting in the various suggestions and seeing which fits best.

/\ lolz

Nice one guys. Plenty of good suggestions so far. I like Ibiza’s too, so the testimony above sounds great.

I could live with most of the suggestions, although would need to be the slightly more modern Fiesta shape, the blobby one sends shivers down my spine.

EDIT: Just checked out the 1.6 TDCI Fiesta and its the ‘good’ shape – economy indeed seems to rise too over the 1.4?!